Saqqara

Image File history File links Egypt_terrain_map_Cairo_Karnak. ...

Saqqara or Sakkara, Saqqarah (Arabic: سقارة) is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, featuring the world's oldest standing step pyramid (29.871264° N 31.216381° E). It is located some 30 km south of modern-day Cairo and covers an area of around 7 km by 1.5 km. Image File history File links Point_rouge_croix_frontier_vert_green. ... Arabic can mean: From or related to Arabia From or related to the Arabs The Arabic language; see also Arabic grammar The Arabic alphabet, used for expressing the languages of Arabic, Persian, Malay ( Jawi), Kurdish, Panjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Urdu, among others. ... The Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacan, is one example of an enormous step pyramid. ... Nickname: Egypt: Site of Cairo (top center) Coordinates: , Government  - Governor Dr. Abdul Azim Wazir Area  - City 214 km²  (82. ...

Description

While Memphis was the capital of Ancient Egypt, Saqqara served as its necropolis. Although it was eclipsed as the burial ground of royalty by Giza and later by the Valley of the Kings in Thebes, it remained an important complex for minor burials and cult ceremonies for more than 3,000 years, well into Ptolemaic and Roman times. The step pyramid at Saqqara was designed by Imhotep for King Djoser (c.2667-2648 BC). It is the oldest complete hewn-stone building complex known in history. It is also the location of the newly opened (in 2006) Imhotep Museum. For other uses, see Memphis. ... Hathor The history of Egypt is the longest continuous history, as a unified state, of any country in the world. ... For the record label, see Necropolis Records. ... Pyramids of Giza in 1960s Egypt: Site of Giza or Al Jizah (top center). ... Location of the valley in the Theban Hills, West of the Nile, October 1988 (red arrow shows location) The Valley of the Kings (Arabic: وادي الملوك Wadi Biban el-Muluk; Gates of the King)[1] is a valley in Egypt where for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to... Thebes Thebes (, Thēbai) is the Greek designation of the ancient Egyptian niwt (The) City and niwt-rst (The) Southern City. It is located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile (). Thebes was the capital of Waset, the fourth Upper Egyptian nome... cleopatra ruled seneca for 10 years before she ruled Egypt. ... Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ... Statuette of Imhotep in the Louvre Another image of the same statue Imhotep (sometimes spelled Immutef, Im-hotep, or Ii-em-Hotep, Egyptian meaning the one who comes in peace) was an Egyptian polymath,[1] who served under the 3rd Dynasty king Djoser as chancellor to the pharaoh and high... Netjerikhet Consort(s) Inetkawes, Hetephernebti Unknown Father Khasekhemwy? Mother Nimaethap? Major Monuments Pyramid of Djoser Netjerikhet Djoser (Turin King List Dsr-it; Manetho Tosarthros) is the best-known pharaoh of the Third dynasty of Egypt, for commissioning the official Imhotep to build his Step Pyramid at Saqqara. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Imhotep Museum[1] is located at the foot of the Saqqara necropolis complex, near Memphis, in Egypt and was bilt as part of strategic site managment The Museum was opened on 26 April 2006, and displays finds from the site, in commemoration of the ancient Egyptian architect Imhotep Prof. ...

History

Early Dynastic

View of Saqqara necropolis, including Djoser's step pyramid (centre). The mound to the far left is the Pyramid of Unas; the one on the right is the Pyramid of Userkaf.

Although the earliest burials of nobles at Saqqara can be traced back to the First Dynasty, it was not until the Second Dynasty that the first kings were buried there, including Hotepsekhemwy and Nynetjer. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (613x1323, 83 KB) Summary Map of the Saqqara Necropolis Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Netjerikhet Consort(s) Inetkawes, Hetephernebti Unknown Father Khasekhemwy? Mother Nimaethap? Major Monuments Pyramid of Djoser Netjerikhet Djoser (Turin King List Dsr-it; Manetho Tosarthros) is the best-known pharaoh of the Third dynasty of Egypt, for commissioning the official Imhotep to build his Step Pyramid at Saqqara. ... The Pyramid of Djoser, or kbhw-ntrw (libation of the deities)[], was built for the Pharaoh Djoser by his architect Imhotep. ... The First and second Dynasties of Ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title of the Early Dynastic Period of Egypt. ... Known rulers, in the History of Egypt, for the Second Dynasty. ... Hotepsekhemwy was the first king of the Second dynasty of Egypt. ... Nynetjer was the third king of the Second dynasty of Egypt. ...

Old Kingdom

The most striking feature of the necropolis, however, dates from the Third Dynasty. Still visible today, is the Step Pyramid of the Pharaoh Djoser. In addition to Djoser's, there are another 16 pyramids on the site, in various states of preservation or dilapidation. That of the fifth-dynasty Pharaoh Unas, located just to the south of the step pyramid and on top of Hotepsekhemwi's tomb, houses the earliest known example of the Pyramid Texts – inscriptions with instructions for the afterlife used to decorate the interior of tombs, the precursor of the New Kingdom Book of the Dead. Saqqara is also home to an impressive number of mastaba tombs. Because the necropolis was lost beneath the sands for much of the past two millennia – even the sizable mortuary complex surrounding Djoser's pyramid was not uncovered until 1924 – many of these have been superbly preserved, with both their structures and lavish internal decorations intact. Known rulers, in the History of Egypt, for the Third Dynasty. ... The Pyramid of Djoser, or kbhw-ntrw (libation of the deities)[], was built for the Pharaoh Djoser by his architect Imhotep. ... Pharaoh was the ancient Egyptian name for the office of kingship. ... Netjerikhet Consort(s) Inetkawes, Hetephernebti Unknown Father Khasekhemwy? Mother Nimaethap? Major Monuments Pyramid of Djoser Netjerikhet Djoser (Turin King List Dsr-it; Manetho Tosarthros) is the best-known pharaoh of the Third dynasty of Egypt, for commissioning the official Imhotep to build his Step Pyramid at Saqqara. ... This article is about architectural pyramids. ... Unas Nomen Unas Nebty name Wadj-em- HorusHiero= Golden Horus Bik-nub-wadj Burial Pyramid of Unas Unas (also Wenis, Oenas, Unis, or Ounas) was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, and one of the rulers of the Old Kingdom. ... The New Kingdom period of Egyptian history is the period between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth dynasty of Egypt. ... The Book of the Dead comd A Section of Plate 3 from the Papyrus of Ani. ... A mastaba was a flat-roofed, mud brick, rectangular building with inward sloping sides that marked the burial site of many eminent Egyptians of Egypts ancient period. ... Year 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Major Old Kingdom structures

• Gisr el-mudir this massive enclosure may date from the Early Dynastic period.
• Sekhemkhet's Step Pyramid (the Buried Pyramid)
• Step Pyramid of Netjerikhet Djoser
• Shepseskaf's Mastabat Fara'un
• Userkaf's pyramid, now looking like a conical hill.
• Djedkare Isesi pyramid complex, known as Haram el-Shawaf.
• Unas pyramid complex, now mainly collapsed.
• Teti's pyramid complex, looking more like a small hill, rather than a man-made construction.
• Pepi I complex, with its associated queens pyramids.
• Merenre's complex
• Pepi II, last great pyramid built in the Old Kingdom.
• Ibi, built in the Eighth dynasty, it is now almost totally destroyed.

There are a few pyramids that date from the First Intermediate Period, the most notable being Khendjer's Pyramid in South Saqqara. Located just at Saqqara in Egypt, just west of Sekhemkhets pyramid complex, this massive enclosure seems to date from the Second dynasty. ... The Early Dynastic Period of Egypt is taken to include the First and Second Dynasties, lasting from 2920 BC, following the Protodynastic Period of Egypt, until 2575 BC, or the beginning of the Old Kingdom. ... Sekhemkhet was Pharaoh in Egypt during the Third dynasty. ... The Pyramid of Djoser, or kbhw-ntrw (libation of the deities)[], was built for the Pharaoh Djoser by his architect Imhotep. ... Netjerikhet Consort(s) Inetkawes, Hetephernebti Unknown Father Khasekhemwy? Mother Nimaethap? Major Monuments Pyramid of Djoser Netjerikhet Djoser (Turin King List Dsr-it; Manetho Tosarthros) is the best-known pharaoh of the Third dynasty of Egypt, for commissioning the official Imhotep to build his Step Pyramid at Saqqara. ... Shepseskaf was a son of Menkaure who succeded his father on the throne. ... Located in south Saqqara, Egypt, in the Memphite Necropolis, the structure known as Mastabat Faraun is the burial place of king Shepseskaf, of the Fourth Dynasty. ... Userkaf was the founder of the Fifth dynasty. ... The Pyramid complex of Userkaf is located in the pyramid field at Saqqara. ... praenomen or throne name nomen or birth name Djedkare Isesi, (in Greek known as Tankeris), was Pharaoh of Egypt during the Fifth dynasty. ... Located in South Saqqara, in Egypt, Haram el-Shawaf (The Sentinel) is a pyramid complex built by Djedkare Isesi and was original called Beautiful is Djedkare-Isesi. ... Unas Nomen Unas Nebty name Wadj-em- HorusHiero= Golden Horus Bik-nub-wadj Burial Pyramid of Unas Unas (also Wenis, Oenas, Unis, or Ounas) was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, and one of the rulers of the Old Kingdom. ... Built in the pyramid field at Saqqara, the pyramid complex of king Unas of the Fifth Dynasty is famous for incorporating several innovative features, but is most recognized for the inclusion of vertical lines of hieroglyphs on the walls of the vestibule and burial chamber. ... Teti was the first Pharaoh of the Sixth dynasty of Egypt. ... The Pyramid complex of Teti is located in the pyramid field at Saqqara, in Egypt. ... Pepi I Meryre (reigned 2332 - 2283 BC) was the third king of the Sixth dynasty of Egypt. ... Merenre Antyemsaf I (2283 - 2278 BC) was the fourth king of the Sixth dynasty of Egypt. ... nomen or birth name Pepi II was a ruler of the Sixth dynasty in Egypts Old Kingdom. ... The Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to that period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization complexity and achievement - this was the first of three so-called Kingdom periods which mark the high points of civilisation in the Nile Valley (the... Qakare Ibi was an ancient Egyptian ruler of the 8th Dynasty. ... The last shadowy pharaohs of the Old Kingdom period, probably having a very limited nominal authority in and around the capital of Memphis, Egypt, the real power now in the hands of the nobility (nomarchs). ... The First Intermediate Period is the name conventionally given by Egyptologists to that period in Ancient Egyptian history between the end of the Old Kingdom and the advent of the Middle Kingdom. ... Khendjer was an Egyptian king (throne name: Userkare) of the 13th Dynasty. ... The Pyramid of Khendjer was built for the burial of Pharaoh Khendjer, who ruled Egypt during the 13th Dynasty. ...

New Kingdom Necropolis

While most of the mastabas date from the Old Kingdom, one major figure from the New Kingdom is also represented: Horemheb, the last pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, who had a tomb built here for himself before he assumed the throne in his own right, while still serving as one of Tutankhamun's generals. However, it should be noted that Pharaoh Horemheb was never buried here. After his death he was interred, as were many other 18th Dynasty kings, in the Valley of the Kings in Ancient Thebes. The Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to that period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization complexity and achievement – this was the first of three so-called Kingdom periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the Nile Valley (the... Djeserkheperure Setepenre Holy are the Manifestations of Re, Chosen of Re Nomen Horemheb Meryamun Horus is in Jubilation, Beloved of Amun Consort(s) Mutnedjmet Amenia Died 1292 BC Burial KV57 Djeserkheperure Horemheb was the last Pharaoh of Ancient Egypts 18th Dynasty from c. ... The Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, New Kingdom. ... Nebkheperure Lord of the forms of Re Nomen Tutankhaten Living Image of the Aten Tutankhamun Hekaiunushema Living Image of Amun, ruler of Upper Heliopolis Horus name Kanakht Tutmesut The strong bull, pleasing of birth Nebty name Neferhepusegerehtawy One of perfect laws, who pacifies the two lands[1] Wer-Ah-Amun... Location of the valley in the Theban Hills, West of the Nile, October 1988 (red arrow shows location) The Valley of the Kings (Arabic: وادي الملوك Wadi Biban el-Muluk; Gates of the King)[1] is a valley in Egypt where for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to... Thebes Thebes (, Thēbai) is the Greek designation of the ancient Egyptian niwt (The) City and niwt-rst (The) Southern City. It is located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile (). Thebes was the capital of Waset, the fourth Upper Egyptian nome...

Later Burials and Monuments

Another major monument at Saqqara is the Serapeum: a gallery of tombs, cut from the rock, which served as the eternal resting place of the mummified bodies of the Apis bulls worshipped in Memphis as embodiments of the god Ptah. Rediscovered by Auguste Mariette in 1851, the tombs had been opened and plundered in antiquity – with the exception of one that lay undisturbed for some 3,700 years. The mummified bull it contained can now be seen in Cairo's agricultural museum. A Serapeum is a temple or other religious institution dedicated to the syncretic Hellenistic-Egyptian god Serapis, who combined aspects of Osiris and Apis in a humanized form that was palatable to the Ptolemaic Greeks of Alexandria. ... In Egyptian mythology, Apis or Hapis (alternatively spelt Hapi-ankh), was a bull-deity worshipped in the Memphis region. ... Ptah In Egyptian mythology, Ptah (also spelt Peteh) was the deification of the primordial mound in the Ennead cosmogony, which was more literally referred to as Ta-tenen (also spelt Tathenen), meaning risen land, or as Tanen, meaning submerged land. ... A statue of Auguste Mariette in his home city of Boulogne-sur-Mer. ... 1851 (MDCCCLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

On the approach to the Serapeum stands the slightly incongruous arrangement of statues known the Philosophers' Circle: a Ptolemaic recognition of the greatest poets and thinkers of their Greek ancestors, originally situated in a nearby temple. Represented here are Hesiod, Homer, Pindar, Plato, and others. Roman bronze bust, the so-called Pseudo-Seneca, now identified by some as possibly Hesiod Hesiod (Hesiodos, ) was an early Greek poet and rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BC. Hesiod and Homer, with whom Hesiod is often paired, have been considered the earliest Greek poets whose work has survived... Homer (Greek: ) is the name given to the supposed unitary author of the early Greek poems the Iliad and the Odyssey. ... Pindar (or Pindarus) (probably born 522 BC in Cynoscephalae, a village in Boeotia; died 443 BC in Argos), was perhaps the greatest of the nine lyric poets of ancient Greece. ... PLATO was one of the first generalized Computer assisted instruction systems, originally built by the University of Illinois (U of I) and later taken over by Control Data Corporation (CDC), who provided the machines it ran on. ...

References

External links

• Information on Saqqara
• Saqqara on-line (Leiden University)
• Discoveries on the site from February 2007

v • d • e Ancient Egypt-related topics

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